Liquid applicator for strip material



0. K. HILL LIQUID APPLICATOR FOR STRIP MATERIAL Sept 23 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 9, 1967 FIG.

WYI'IENTOR. 05cm: K. HILL FIG. 5

Sept. 23, 1969 0, 3,468,287

LIQUID APPLICATOR FOR STRIP MATERIAL Filed Nov. 9, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV OSCHR K. HILL %/ZL/ M Sept. 23, 1969 HlLL LIQUID APPLICATOR FOR STRIP MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 9, 1967 I lull IIL. llllllllvl INVENTOR. OSCHR K. HILL FIG. 7"

ATTOQNE/S Unite ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A label gluing or moistening device includes a housing forming a reservior or well for the liquid such as glue. The housing is closed by a cover defining an inclined Wall for the reception of a label to be moistened and which may be fed between a rotatable rubber-coated roller and a pair of biasing rollers which are mounted on the interior of the cover and biased upwardly against the rubbercoated roller. Labels are fed downwardly from the inclined wall by rotation of the rubber roller which through gearing causes rotation of a reservoir roller or pick-up roller and an applicator roller to pick up the liquid from the reservoir and transfer it to the applicator roller over which the label is fed by the movement of the rubber roller. The pick-up roller and the applicator roller are mounted such that end shaft portions may he slipped into or removed from vertical grooves defined in the housing, and they include a tongue formation on the shafts on one side which engages into a groove or recess formation formed as shaft projections of rotatable gears mounted on the exterior of the sidewall of the housing. In a similar manner, the shaft for the rubber feed roller is mounted so that it may be engaged or disengaged with an extension of its associated gear for driving the applicator and transfer roller gears, the whole arrangement being such that the cover with the feed roller and the two separate pick-up rollers and applicator rollers may be easily removed from the housing for cleaning or adjustment of the parts as necessary. The device also includes an extension supporting a bar upon which is carried a plurality of rotatable fingers which may be arranged so that they abut against the surface of the applicator roller and insure that the label which is fed thereover is picked off at the exit end of the housing and delivered over the surface of the fingers for removal and use.

Summary of the invention This invention relates in general to strip moistening and gluing devices and in particular to a new and useful device for moistening or gluing one side of a strip of material such as a label and which includes means for positioning the label into association with a feed-off roller and for advancing the label over a moistening applicator roller which is driven by the movement of the feed roller.

Prior to the present invention, machines have been known for applying glue or liquid to labels, but they had many disadvantages, including bulkiness of parts and an arrangement of parts which did not facilitate their disassembly for cleaning and inspection. In addition, the glue or liquid is not applied in a uniform coating, and in some instances, especially during initial feed, it does not apply at all. In addition it is not uncommon for the parts to cause tearing or pulling of the tape or label in addition to the poor application of a liquid or glue thereto. The reason generally was the fact that there was a variation of fluid supply and a variation of pressure to the applier and to the surface speed of such applier and the associated application rollers or devices.

The present invention is an improvement over the prior part, particularly in respect to the provision of a housing defining a liquid reservoir which includes a top wall or cover which forms an inclined surface for receiving labels States Patent 6 which may be positioned on the inclined surface in a position to be engaged and fed away by a feed roller. The feed roller, which is of a size so that it may be easily driven by hand engagement, comprises a roller member which is advantageously covered with a non-skid surface such as a rubber coating and which is centered in respect to a shaft which is journalled on brackets adjacent the bottom of the inclined surface of the housing cover. The feed roller is advantageously of a size so that it may be easily engaged by the fingers of the operators hand and rotated in a direction counter to the slope of the cover to engage and feed the labels downwardly off the inclined cover surface. A feature of the construction is the provision of two relatively small-sized counter rollers which are carried on a spring element depending from the underside of the cover and which engage upwardly against the periphery of the feed roller at closely spaced circumferential locations. For this purpose the cover is provided with an opening through which the small diameter biasing rollers extend so that the strip material is engaged between the biasing rollers and the feed rollers and fed over an application roller which applies liquid to its undersurface and then moves the label outwardly from the housing. A feature of the construction is that the applicator roller and a pick-up or transfer roller which rotates in contact with the applica-' tor roller in the liquid contained in the housing reservoir are gear-driven from the feed roller. This insures a start-up of the coating of the liquid or glue on the surface of the applicator roller even before the label contacts this roller so that an even coating of glue or liquid will be applied to the label as it is fed. The device advantageously includes pick-up fingers which project from the front of the housing and which are engaged on the surface of the applicator roller to cause a lift-off of the label in the event that this should be necessary.

A further feature of the construction is that the shafts for the applicator roller and the pick-up roller are rotatably supported at the lower ends of vertical grooves defined on each side of the housing. The extent and location of the grooves is such that the rollers are supported so that the applicator roller contact surface will be in even bearing contact with the pick-up roller surface during normal operation. The drive connection between the gears from the feed roller and the applicator and pick-up roller is effected through disengageable coupling formations defined on the ends of each of the shafts of these rollers. In the embodiment such coupling formation comprises a tongue formation on the feed roller shaft, the applicator roller shaft and the pick-up roller shaft which engages in corresponding recesses defined on the shafts of various gears of a gear train interconnecting the shafts. In this manner, all of the shafts may be easily disengaged from its associated driving gear and lifted upwardly in the vertical support groove for easy removal from the housing so that the housing may be inspected or cleaned, as desired.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a device for applying a liquid or glue to a strip material such as a label which includes a housing defining an inclined strip positioning surface for the strip material and with a hand-engageable rotatable roller arranged so that the label may be advanced over two counter biasing rollers which are biased against the surface of the feed roller and moved into association with an applicator roller which is rotated by the rotation of the hand roller to effect an even coating of liquid or glue over the label.

A further object of the invention is to provide a label gluer or moistener which includes a housing having a spout opening at one end for visibly indicating the level of the liquid therein and for receiving additional liquid as desired and which mounts a liquid pick-up roller in association with an applicator roller in a manner permitting the easy insertion or withdrawal of these two rollers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip material moistening or gluing device which includes a rotatable feed roller and which drives, through gearing arranged on a sidewall of the housing, an applicator roller over which the label is fed and the liquid or glue applied thereto and wherein the applicator roller is mounted in grooves defined in the walls of the housing for easy removal and installation and wherein the applicator roller is coupled to its associated gear drive from the feed roller in a manner permitting easy removal of the roller.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip material moistener or gluer which includes a cover member defining an inclined feed path for the strip material and which also mounts a spring element for biasing rollers which are engaged with the undersurface of a feed roller mounted at the lower end of the inclined top cover.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip element moistening or gluing device which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front top perspective view of a labeler constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the labeler;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the labeler;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial elevational and partial sectional view indicating the interengagement between the applicator roller and the driving gear therefor.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a device for gluing or moistening strip material such as labels which includes a housing generally designated 10 having a bottom wall 12 with resilient supports 14 at each corner to permit the housing to be mounted on a surface such as on a table. The housing also includes a front wall 16, sidewalls 18 and 20, and a rear wall 22. The top of the housing: is closed by a removable cover member 24.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the sidewalls 18 and 20 provide a support for the cover 24 so that the cover forms an inclined feeding surface for receiving a label or strip material 26 (FIG. 2). A further feature is that the rear wall is provided with a central trough-like projection 22a which extends through an opening 24a defined in the cover 24. The projection 22a forms a spout to permit filling of the reservoir defined within the interior of the housing with a liquid 25 such as a glue or a liquid which provides an activation for a coating on the undersurface of the label 26. The liquid in the housing is easily visible by viewing into the spout 22a, and the height of the spout outer wall is such that it provides a regulation for the level of the liquid to be maintained within the housing.

At the lower front end of the exterior of the cover 24 there are provided mounting brackets 28 and 30 for rotatably supporting a feed roller shaft 32 which carries a feed roller 34. The shaft 32 and the feed roller 34 are advantageously rotated by driving means which in the embodiment shown comprises the fingers of a persons hand which are engaged over the surface of the roller and moved in a direction toward the cover 24 as indicated in FIG. 2. The cover 24 provides a mounting for a spring member or leaf spring 36 which is secured to a mounting boss 38 by bolts 40. The free end of the spring 36 carries a yoke 36a which provides a pivotal support for a bracket or yoke member 42 which rotatably supports a pair of spaced pressure rollers or nip rollers 44 and 46 (see FIG. 2). The rollers 44 and 46 are biased upwardly through an opening 48 defined in the cover 24 and they engage the periphery of the feed roller 34 at two circumferentially spaced locations adjacent the bottom thereof. As can be seen particularly in FIG. 2, the rotation of the roller 34 by the movement of a persons hand will cause the automatic feeding of the label 26 between the rollers 44 and 34 and the movement of the label, by the continuous rotation of the feed roller 34, over the roller 46 and onto the surface of an applicator roller or transfer roller 50. The nip rollers 44 and 46 feed and guide the label 26 in a parallel manner over the applicator roller 50 and prevent any skewing or catching of the labels at its corners which might result in tearing or jamming. The applicator roller 50 is effective to apply an even coating of liquid or glue to the undersurface of the label 26 and deliver it out through the front of the housing. The liquid such as glue 25 which is in the housing is picked up by a pickup roller or transfer roller 54 which is rotatably mounted within the housing below and to one side of the applicator roller 50 in a position at which its surface makes even contact with the surface of the applicator roller 50. The liquid which is picked up by the pick-up roller 54 will be regulated as to amount by the position of a doctor blade 56 which includes a vertical portion 56a which is slotted vertically to receive bolt elements 58 for vertical adjustment and clamping. The doctor blade 56 includes a horizontal doctor blade portion 5612 which may be regulated in respect to the surface of the pick-up roller 54 to scrape off excess liquid which is picked up thereby in order to regulate the film of liquid which is transferred from the pick-up roller 54 to the applicator roller 50. The level of liquid 25 will not exceed the height of the overflow wall 22a which is at a lower level than the doctor blade portion 56b.

A set screw 60 is threaded into the horizontal portion 56a of the doctor blade 56 and it may be rotated to adjust the horizontal position of this portion when the bolt 58 is loosened to regulate the amount of doctoring which the blade will effect during the rotating of the pick-up roller 54.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the rotation of the roller 34 causes the driving rotatable movement of the pick-up roller 54 and the applicator roller 50 at a faster speed than the roller 34. The drive is through a gear chain of gears 62, 64, and 66 having shafts 62a, 62b and 62c which are rotatably supported in the end wall 20 and in a wall of a gear housing cover 68 (FIG. 6). In the preferred arrangement, gears 62, 64 and 66 are of a size and number of teeth such that roller 50 is driven at a speed at which its periphery moves faster than that of the pick-up roller 54 to create a wiping action between them for better transfer of the liquid.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the feed roller shaft 32 and shaft portions 50a and 54a of the applicator roller and pick-up rollers, respectively, are connected to the associated gear shafts 62a, 62b and 62c, respectively, by means of couplings generally designated 70. In each instance the coupling 70 comprises a tongue formation 72 on one of the shafts and a recess or groove formation 74 on the other shaft which may interengage. The cover member 24 which carries the brackets 28 and 30 for rotatably supporting the shaft 32 may be completely removed from the housing when the tongue portion 72 of the shaft is arranged vertically so that the cover may be lifted upwardly vertically without the coupling 70 interfering with its removal.

In accordance with a still further feature of the invention, the housing wall 20 is provided with an inwardly extending boss or bracket formation 72 on each sidewall 18 and 20. The bracket formation each define two spaced vertical recesses or grooves 74 to 76 for receiving and rotatably supporting shaft portions 50a and 54a of the transfer roller 50 and pick-up roller 54, respectively. The grooves 74 and 76 extend substantially vertically, as best indicated in FIG. 2, and they are open at the top so that it is possible to easily lift the transfer roller 50 and the pick-up roller 54 out of its associated groove for removal from the housing for cleaning or repair purposes. In a preferred arrangement, in order to effect removal of the transfer roller 50 and the pick-up roller 54 from the housing, it is necessary to first align the coupling 70 so that the tongue portions 72 extend substantially vertically or parallel to the axes of their associated grooves 74 and 76 so that they may be easily lifted out of these grooves. The shaft 32 may also be removed from the supporting brackets 28 and 30 by moving the roller 34 with the shaft 32 toward the right, as indicated in FIG. 1, toward the bracket 30 to displace the end of the shaft out of the bracket 28 and thereafter removing the shaft portion from the bracket 30. To prevent the removal of the shaft 32 during operation, a projection 32a is formed on the shaft adjacent the bracket 28 which prevents displacement of the shaft into the bearing opening in the bracket 28.

In order to insure that the label which is fed over the application roller 50 is maintained in uniform contact with this roller, the cover 24 advantageously includes a curved end portion 24a which overlies the upper peripheral portion of the roller 50 and maintains the label in close engagement with this roller during the feeding.

Finger guide members 82, 84, 86 and 88 are rotatably carried on a bar 90 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which is supported on end brackets 92 and M arranged in front of the housing and are provided to insure that the label lifts off the surface of the applicator roller 50 when the liquid 25 which is used requires this. The finger members 82 to 88 may be shifted from side to side on the bar 90 in order to provide the desired alignment and spacing in a lateral direction and in respect to the feed roller 34. Each finger 82, 84, 86, 88 is provided with a knife edge portion 82a, 84a, 86a and 88a which rests on the surface of the applicator roller 50 during operation. The fingers 82 to 88 may be rotated to a non-operative position at which they hang downwardly from its associated bar 90, if desired.

Thus, the inventive device provides a housing which forms a reservoir for a liquid such as glue and which may be completely stripped of its associated parts and opened entirely by the removal of its top cover and the lifting out of the roller elements. Gear-driven shafts 62a, 62b and 62c extend inwardly from a sidewall 20 of the housing in a position at which coupling formations thereon may be readily engaged by complementary formations carried by the pick-up roller 54, the applicator roller 50' and the shaft 32 of the feed roller 34. The pick-up roller and the feed roller 50 may be easily inserted into the supporting bearings or removed therefrom, as desired. The spring 36 mounting the small biasing rollers 44 and 46 provides an arrangement which insures the feeding of the label with an even pressure around the surface of the feed roller and onto the surface of the applicator roller where an even film of the liquid is continuously applied. Because the applicator roller 50 is gear-driven along with its associated pick-up roller 54, a quantity of the liquid will already be picked up from the reservoir supply and transferred onto the surface of the applicator roller before the end of the label arrives onto the surface thereof. Thus the apparatus insures the feeding of the label under the control of an operators hand feeding which permits the easy placement of the labels in a position in which they will feed downwardly along the inclined cover wall without difficulty.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for applying a liquid such as a glue or a moistener to a strip of material such as a label, comprising a housing defining a liquid reservoir, applicator roller means rotatable in said reservoir to pick up a quantity of liquid from said reservoir and to transfer it to a label which is fed thereover, a feed roller rotatably mounted on said housing adjacent to and spaced from said applicator roller means, biasing roller means biased toward engagement with said feed roller at a location adjacent to but spaced from said applicator roller and defining a feeding nip between said biasing roller means and said feed roller for feeding strip material between said feed roller and said biasing roller means and to and over said applicator roller means, and drive means connected to said feed roller and to said applicator roller means to cause it to pick up liquid from said reservoir upon initiation of movement of said feeding roller means and to present the liquid on said applicator roller means in alignment with the strip material before the strip material is moved to said applicator roller means by said feedin roller means.

2. A device according to claim 1, including a cover for said housing having an inclined wall extending downwardly to the nip between said feed roller and said applicating roller means and forming a support for a label to be fed therebetween.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said applicator roller means includes a pick-up roller having a portion of its surface submerged within the liquid in said reservoir and a transfer roller having its surface peripherally engaged with said pick-up roller, and means removably mounting said pick-up roller and said transfer roller in said housing.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said means mounting said pick-up roller and said transfer roller in said housing includes a bracket defining two separate vertical bearing supporting slots for said pick-up roller and said applicator roller respectively, said slots being opened at the top to permit upward removal of said roller from said slot.

'5. A device according to claim 3, including coupling means connected between said drive means and said appliactor roller means and between said drive means and said feed roller.

6. A device according to claim 1, including at least one lift-off finger engaged with the periphery of said applicator roller means for lifting the label off the surface thereof.

7. A device for supplying liquid such as glue to a strip of material such as a label comprising a housing defining an interior liquid reservoir, and having a top wall with an inclined surface, means adjacent the lower end of the inclined surface of said top wall for rotatably supporting a feed roller, a feed roller rotatably supported on said feed roller supporting means, a biasing roller, means mounting said biasing roller in said housing to bear upwardly against said feed roller at the lower end of said inclined wall, applicator roller means rotatable in said reservoir to pick up a quantity of liquid from said reservoir and including a roller located adjacent said feed roller in a position to receive a label fed thereby and to move it around the surface thereof to transfer liquid thereto, and drive means connected between said feed roller and sai dapplicator roller means to rotate said applicator roller means upon rotation of said feed roller for advancing the label over said feed roller and applying liquid thereto as said feed roller is rotated.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said applicator roller means includes a pick-up roller having a portion of its surface submerged in a liquid of the reservoir and an applicator roller having its periphery in engagement with said pick-up roller for transferring liquid to the surface of said applicator roller and then to the label, and means mounting said applicator roller and said pickup roller in said housing for removal.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein said mounting means includes open slot bearing formations individually supporting said application and pick-up rollers and permitting removal of said pick-up roller and said applicator roller by lifting upwardly out of the housing.

10. A device for applying liquid such as glue to a strip of material such as a label, comprising a housing defining an interior liquid reservoir, a cover portion of said housing having an inclined wall, means rotatably mounting a feed roller adjacent the lower end of said inclined wall, a feed roller carried on said feed roller mounting means and having its periphery movable through a path intersecting the plane of said inclined Wall, first and second biasing rollers disposed adjacent the lower end of said inclined wall, spring means biasing said first and second biasing rollers against the periphery of said feed roller, an applicator roller rotatably mounted in said housing adjacent said biasing rollers in a position to receive a strip material fed thereby to advance it around the surface thereof, a pick-up roller rotatably mounted in said housing having a portion of its surface adapted to move below the surface of the liquid in said housing and its surface arranged to contact the surface of said applicator roller to transfer liquid thereto, said housing defining means for guiding the strip material being fed over the surface of said applicator roller downwardly onto the surface thereof, and drive means connected to said feed roller, to said applicator roller and to said pick-up roller to rotate all of said rollers together.

11. A device according to claim 10, including doctor blade means associated with said pick-up roller to regulate the quantity of liquid picked up thereby.

12. A device according to claim 10, including a spout formation in said housing comprising an openly projecting trough portion having a visible top for viewing the quantity of liquid therein.

13. A device according to claim 12, wherein said spout portion includes a rearward trough-shaped formation formed in said rear wall extending outwardly adjacent the lower end thereof and being open at the top for viewing the liquid therein.

14. A device according to claim 10, wherein said feed roller is a relatively large size roller having a rubber surface thereon to permit engagement by the fingers of the hand and frictional engagement with the strip material to be fed.

15. A hand operated label moistening or glue applying device, comprising a housing defining a reservoir for a moistener or a liquid glue, applicator roller means rotatable in said reservoir to pick up a quantity of liquid from said reservoir and to present it in alignment with a label to be fed thereover, said housing including a surface over which the label is adapted to be fed terminating in an end opening over said reservoir, a hand engageable feed roller projecting above said surface and being rotatably mounted on said housing adjacent to and slightly spaced from said applicator roller means, biasing roller means located adjacent the end of said surface and being biased toward engagement with said feed roller at a location to engage a label moved along said surface and to hold it against said feed roller and to feed it around said feed roller when said feed roller is moved by engagement by an operators hand, said biasing roller means defining a feeding nip between said biasing roller means and said feed roller for feeding the label around a portion of the surface of said feed roller and over to said applicator roller means, and drive means connected between said feed roller and said applicator roller means and rotating said applicator roller means at a speed in proportion to the rotation of the feed of said feed roller, said applicator roller means being free of frictional contact of said feed roller and being rotatable solely by said drive means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 666,576 1/1901 Tily 118-249 2,241,664 5/ 1941 Heckman. 2,503,694 4/ 1950 Voorhies 118249 2,741,215 4/1956 Cady et al 118-249 XR WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner ROBERT I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner 

